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Eddie and the Cruisers/Eddie and the Cruisers 2: Eddie Lives

Eddie and the Cruisers/Eddie and the Cruisers 2: Eddie LivesKen MurrayApril 2, 20153.5

Original is a Cult Classic

Films (Average)

Video

Audio

Bonus Features

Main Plot Points:

EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS-They say rock ’n’ roll never dies, but one dark night in 1963, Eddie Wilson’s car took a dive off a Jersey bridge with the troubled rock idol at the wheel. His body was never found. Tom Berenger (Sniper), Michael Pare (Streets of Fire), Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix) and Ellen Barkin (Sea of Love) star in this cool, compelling classic that really rocks!

Twenty years after the lead singer (Pare) of “Eddie and the Cruisers”, disappeared, the band’s songs are hotter than ever. And renewed interest in the band leads TV reporter Maggie Foley (Barkin) to pursue a tantalizing mystery: what if Eddie is still alive?

EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS II: EDDIE LIVES!-Get ready to rock! Michael Pare reprises his role as the hot-blooded rebel rocker Eddie Wilson, who, after twenty years, still has “the kind of charisma that drives adolescent girls wild”, (L.A. Herald-Examiner).
At the height of fame, rock legend Eddie Wilson (Pare) drove his car into the river and disappeared from the limelight. Twenty years later, his band Eddie and the Cruisers is hotter than ever. Posing as construction worker, Eddie has maintained a quiet life in Canada. But his relentless desire to make music pulls him back to the stage where he forms a new band and an even hotter sound.

Meanwhile, to cash in on the revived interest in the band, record executives release an Eddie and the Cruisers “lost tapes”, album and promote a worldwide search for the mysterious rocker. As his new band hits center stage, Eddie finally faces the past: his way.

What We Thought:

Eddie and the Cruisers is a cult hit from the 1980s that is one of my favorite films. I’m glad to see it hit Blu-ray. Eddie and the Cruisers 2: Eddie Lives, that’s another story.

The film was a box office bomb that slowly crept into cult status with a hit soundtrack after its release. The soundtrack was huge with hits like On The Dark Side from John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band.

The film hit cable later on and grew an audience. I remember seeing it in the 1980s and having the soundtrack on cassette. My family is a big fan of the film.

For the people that know the film, they love it. I’ve been talking about the film for a few months on Facebook and most people talk positively about it. They remember the music, the cast (Tom Berenger, Joey Pants and Ellen Barkin) and you get a nice nostalgic feel talking about it.

Because of that cult status, they released a sequel years later. That sequel is pretty bad. Michael Pare still plays Eddie Wilson, but the rest of the cast isn’t there and the film just isn’t as good. But it comes along with the original in this set so that’s fine.

The Blu-ray looks pretty solid. The film was gritty in the first place, but I definitely recommend the HD upgrade The audio is fantastic with John Cafferty sounding perfect in the original.

Eddie and the Cruisers/Eddie and the Cruisers 2: Eddie Lives is a must own cult classic. I’ve been watching the movie for almost 30 years. I have the original soundtrack on my iPod. Sure the sequel isn’t very good, but even if you only get this for the first film, it’s well worth it. An outright personal favorite film that I still very much enjoy.